Drew Brees: WWII vets still deserve our attention

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; By Drew Brees - As with many men in their 30s, the demands of building a career and family mean my gaze is focused on what's ahead, not what's behind. I do, however, enjoy reading about history — especially military ...

By Drew Brees - As with many men in their 30s, the demands of building a career and family mean my gaze is focused on what's ahead, not what's behind. I do, however, enjoy reading about history — especially military history. But it took a trip to Okinawa, Japan, to make me realize the deep, if not always visible, connection between America's youngest generations and its "Greatest" one.

In April 1945, Okinawa became the site of one of World War II's bloodiest battles between invading U.S. forces and the defending Japanese. My grandfather, Ray Akins— then a 19-year-old Marine from Brady, Texas — was in the thick of it. As I walked around the island I realized I was walking in his footsteps. I stood at the spot where my grandfather stormed the beach with the 1st Marine Division. I imagined the noise and death surrounding the soldiers as they first set foot on the island.